Core 2 Duo T5550 vs Phenom X4 9600B

Core 2 Duo T5550

2 Cores2 Thrd2 WWMax: 1.83 GHz2008

Phenom X4 9600B

4 Cores4 Thrd95 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2008

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo T5550

2 / 2

1,826

0.0%

Pentium B950

Core i3-2310M

Pentium J3710

Celeron Dual-Core T1500

1,842

+0.9%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Core 2 Duo T5550 is positioned at rank 23 and the Phenom X4 9600B is on rank 1055, so the Core 2 Duo T5550 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core 2 Duo T5550

#11

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

161%

#12

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

158%

#13

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

145%

#14

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

145%

#15

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

143%

#17

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

138%

#18

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

133%

#19

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

133%

#20

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

129%

#23

Core 2 Duo T5550

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

100%

#24

Core 2 Duo T7100

MSRP: $197|Avg: $15

100%

#27

Pentium 2030M

MSRP: $134|Avg: N/A

96%

#28

Core 2 Duo T5750

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $8

95%

#29

Core 2 Duo T7200

MSRP: $286|Avg: $6

94%

#30

Core i5-3230M

MSRP: $225|Avg: $13

94%

#31

Atom D525

MSRP: $63|Avg: N/A

93%

#32

Atom x7835RE

MSRP: $127|Avg: N/A

93%

#33

Core 2 Duo P8400

MSRP: $209|Avg: $10

91%

#38

Core 2 Duo T8100

MSRP: $209|Avg: $10

85%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Phenom X4 9600B

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

47016%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

44425%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

32256%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

9717%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

7697%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

6734%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

3857%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

3806%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

3466%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

3465%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

3427%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

3334%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

3288%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

3274%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

3245%

#1054

Pentium D 940

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

100%

#1055

Phenom X4 9600B

MSRP: $278|Avg: $20

100%

#1056

Phenom II X3 B77

MSRP: $281|Avg: $35

99%

#1057

Core 2 Duo E6300

MSRP: $163|Avg: $5

98%

#1058

Core 2 Duo E6400

MSRP: $183|Avg: $10

97%

#1059

Core 2 Duo E8300

MSRP: $163|Avg: $20

96%

#1060

Phenom X4 9500

MSRP: $247|Avg: $30

95%

#1061

Celeron D 352

MSRP: $69|Avg: $15

91%

#1062

Core i7-970

MSRP: $1083|Avg: $289

91%

#1063

Core i7-880

MSRP: $583|Avg: $40

89%

#1064

Pentium D 820

MSRP: $241|Avg: $20

88%

#1065

Celeron 2.10

MSRP: $49|Avg: $49

88%

#1066

Core i7-950

MSRP: $562|Avg: $15

87%

#1067

Sempron 3100+

MSRP: $65|Avg: $15

86%

#1068

Athlon II X4 635

MSRP: $400|Avg: $250

85%

#1069

Core 2 Duo E6750

MSRP: $183|Avg: $15

85%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Phenom X4 9600B delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core 2 Duo T5550 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.9% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T5550	Phenom X4 9600B
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($5)	⚠️ Higher cost ($20)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Merom (2006−2008) / 65 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Agena (2007−2008) / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Core 2 Duo T5550 holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $5 (vs $20), it costs 75% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 297% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Phenom X4 9600B.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T5550	Phenom X4 9600B
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+297%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($5)	⚠️ Higher cost ($20)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core 2 Duo T5550 Benchmark Check

Phenom X4 9600B Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo T5550 and Phenom X4 9600B

Core 2 Duo T5550

The Core 2 Duo T5550 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2008-01-01. It is based on the Merom (2006−2008) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.83 GHz, with boost up to 1.83 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,826 points. Launch price was $249.

Phenom X4 9600B

The Phenom X4 9600B is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Agena (2007−2008) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Max frequency: 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: AM2+. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,842 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Duo T5550 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Phenom X4 9600B offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Phenom X4 9600B has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 1.83 GHz on the Core 2 Duo T5550 versus 2.3 GHz on the Phenom X4 9600B — a 22.8% clock advantage for the Phenom X4 9600B. The Core 2 Duo T5550 uses the Merom (2006−2008) architecture (65 nm), while the Phenom X4 9600B uses Agena (2007−2008) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo T5550 scores 1,826 against the Phenom X4 9600B's 1,842 — a 0.9% lead for the Phenom X4 9600B. L3 cache: 2 MB L2 Cache on the Core 2 Duo T5550 vs 2 MB (total) on the Phenom X4 9600B.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T5550	Phenom X4 9600B
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	1.83 GHz	2.3 GHz+26%
Base Clock	1.83 GHz	—
L3 Cache	2 MB L2 Cache	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	512 kB (per core)
Process	65 nm	65 nm
Architecture	Merom (2006−2008)	Agena (2007−2008)
PassMark	1,826	1,842

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo T5550 uses the PGA478 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Phenom X4 9600B uses AM2+ (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T5550	Phenom X4 9600B
Socket	PGA478	AM2+
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 2.0+82%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR2-1066
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core 2 Duo T5550) / AMD-V (Phenom X4 9600B). Primary use case: Phenom X4 9600B targets Business.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T5550	Phenom X4 9600B
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Business

💰

Value Analysis

At current prices ($5 vs $20), the Core 2 Duo T5550 is $15 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core 2 Duo T5550 delivers 365.2 pts/$ vs 92.1 pts/$ for the Phenom X4 9600B — making the Core 2 Duo T5550 the 119.4% better value option.